Building a Sustainable and Desirable Economy-In-Society-In- Nature

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Building a Sustainable and Desirable Economy-in-Society-in- Nature By Robert Costanza, Gar Alperovitz, Herman Daly, Joshua Farley, Carol Franco, Tim Jackson, Ida Kubiszewski, Juliet Schor, and Peter Victor Key points: Growth in material consumption is unsustainable: there are fundamental planetary boundaries. Growth in material consumption beyond a threshold already reached by many is undesirable: it has negative effects on social and natural capital and in overdeveloped economies does not increase well-being. Viable alternatives exist that are both sustainable and desirable, but they require a fundamental redesign of the entire “regime.” To better articulate and communicate the goal, we need to envision the resulting society and how the pieces might fit together. To make the transition to a just and sustainable world will require: a fundamental change of worldview to one that recognizes that we live on a finite planet and that sustainable well-being requires far more than material consumption; replacing the present goal of limitless growth with goals of material sufficiency, equitable distribution, and sustainable human well-being; a complete redesign of the world economy that preserves natural systems essential to life and wellbeing and balances natural, social, human, and built assets. The dimensions of the new economy include, but are not limited to A) Sustainable scale: respecting ecological limits B) Fair distribution: protecting capabilities for flourishing C) Efficient allocation: building a sustainable macro-economy Example Policy Reforms Reversing Consumerism Expanding the Commons Systematic Caps on Natural Resources Sharing Work Time.

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